Champ Bailey has a fan in Johnathan Joseph

Johnathan Joseph has become good friends with Broncos veteran cornerback Champ Bailey, whom he considers a role model. Bailey texted him Wednesday to arrange a get-together once the Texans arrive in town.

“He’s been to 11 Pro Bowls,” Joseph said. “He’s a guy I’ve emulated throughout my career. What’s this, his 13th, 14th year? And he’s still playing at a top level. He’s always up for the challenge, each and every week. He’s super athletic, fast, quick and tough.”

Joseph said he makes it a point to get to know other corners in order to pick their brains.

“You can always pick up something new,” he said, “something that can possibly help you.”

Defense is second to none
Two weeks into the season, the Texans are leading the NFL in fewest points allowed, 8.5 per game, and fewest yards allowed, 196 per game. They’re first in pass defense and eighth in run defense.

Also, having limiting Jacksonville to a franchise-record low of 117 yards, they’re also the only team in the league to have held opponents under 200 yards as many as four times since the start of last season. Baltimore is next with three sub-200-yard efforts.

Newton faces biggest test yet
Right tackle Derek Newton made big strides from his first game as a starter against Miami to the second one in Jacksonville where he was on the field for all 43 minutes, 17 seconds of offense. But he’ll be facing an arguably larger challenge against the Broncos in Denver, Kubiak conceded, both because of the quality of the opposition and the anticipated intensity of the crowd.

Kubiak suggested he was already looking ahead to the Denver trip when he gave Newton a start in similarly raucous New Orleans, to see if he could handle the pressure. Newton’s effort that night won him the starting job.

“We see his growth,” Kubiak said. “You see him correct things from week one to week two. He’s a better player, and that’s the path we want him on all year long. I just liked his effort. He played 85 plays last week. That’s pretty darned good for a guy in his second time out. (Denver) is a new challenge, a new place (for him) to go do it.”

Mile high? No problem
Arian Foster admitted “it’s a little tougher to breathe” at Denver’s altitude, but he said having grown up in Albuquerque, N. M., gives him an advantage some players might not have because “(Albuquerque) is actually higher than Denver.”

He’s right. Denver is at exactly a mile, 5,280 feet, while Albuquerque’s official elevation is 5,312 feet.

Foster said the Texans won’t have any problems in Denver because “we’re well-conditioned athletes. We’ll handle it just fine.”

The last time he played in Denver Foster ran for 91 yards on 19 carries and caught four passes for 44 yards.